BA vs. Phillips Exeter

The Bridgton Academy Wolverines took to the road for the last time in 2013 to face Class A rival Phillips Exeter Academy. The game started off as Coach Perron predicted, with Exeter booming balls long over the top and the BA boys trying to settle the game down and possess. For the first 20 minutes, BA would hold the majority of the possession even without two of their top players and Division 1 prospects Casey Hamill and Nicholas Kaiafas (Card infraction/Concussion respectively). The first two goals of the game would fall  to Exeter however, as their long ball tactic forced the BA backline into two mistakes. It was 2-0 Exeter within a span of 2 minutes and this is the way the half would end. BA would make a formation change for the Second and it worked well of the start only to see Exeter put away their third off a counter attack. 3-0 Exeter. It would have been easy for the boys to wilt away under these circumstances under the lights, in front of 500 raucous and unruly fans though the boys came back and fought harder. Brian Wheeler would put one goal away on a looping shot to draw the boys a bit closer, 3-1, his second of the campaign. Minutes later, former Hanover teammate Eric Miller Headed home the second goal off a longer service into the box. 3-2 was the scoreline with 10 minutes to go. BA put together at least 3 more quality chances as it seemed everything began to come together during that second half though the boys would come up just short. The score finished 3-2 in what would be another disappointing loss for the BA side.

BA vs. Hebron Academy

Wolverine soccer took to their shortest road trip of the season traveling just 40 minutes over to Class C power Hebron Academy. The game started out a bit frantic as both teams were trying to gain a foothold and figure each other out. After the first 5 minutes, Bridgton would eventually settle the play down and begin to control possession and move the ball around. Qais Sidiqi would open the scoring just 17 minutes in off a corner kick in which he bent a beautiful ball into the upper corner of the goal. 1-0 to the BA Wolverines. Despite the Wolverines holding much of the play, the scoreline would stay this way at halftime. The second half saw Hebron hold a lot more of the play as Bridgton came out sloppy in the first 10 minutes. They finally got it together and a nice combination play down the right flank between Sam Anderson, Dimitri Roumeliotis and Qais Sidiqi eventually led to a beautiful cross from Anderson to a waiting Brian Wheeler on the back post who volleyed the shot home for a 2-0 lead. Hebron would pull one back 10 minutes later but BA calmly responded after a nice ball from Andrew Gass found Connor Reagan open in space and he finished nicely to the lower corner. The score would finish 3-1 to BA.

BA vs. South Kent

A weary BA side traveled to Merrimack College this past Sunday to take on one of the perennial powers of New England in South Kent.  The boys fought hard for 90 minutes but without 2 of their better players sidelined with concussions they had a tough time getting a consistent attack going. They would fall 2-0 at the hands of a strong South Kent Side.

By: Coach Perron

BA vs. Hyde School

The BA boys soccer team took to the road again for a matchup against Hyde school on their parents weekend. After a run of a couple tough results, the boys hoped to climb back into the win column in this matchup. The boys came out sharp, dominating about 80% of possession throughout the game which led to their opening goal. Off a free kick into the box, a loose ball found Tyler Greene at the six yard box who drove it home for his second goal of the season. 1-0 to the good guys. This score would remain until the second half when a hyde player cracked a 30 yard bouncing ball into the back of the net to tie the score at 1. Connor Reagan took exception to this effort from Hyde in the next five minutes collecting a miss clearance around half field, dribbling swiftly to the corner and across the box and slotting a beautiful pass to Sam Anderson who laced his second goal of the season home for a 2-1 lead.  Hyde would tie the score minutes later on a long driven set piece into the box which was miss handled by the BA keeper/defense allowing the loose ball to be fired home to tie the score. The score would end 2-2.

By: Coach Perron 

BA vs. Berkshire School

The Bridgton Academy boys soccer team hit the road to take on New England Power and #1 ranked Berkshire Academy. The game was played in a minor league professional soccer stadium in Ludlow, MA, one in which Coach Perron used to call home in his professional playing days. Unfortunately, the boys play in the first half reflected a 4 hour bus ride and they were down quickly 2-0 within the first 10 minutes. It was a very lethargic first half for Bridgton while the talented Berkshire team came out firing on all cylinders. The boys came out at halftime finally ready to play and their play showed it, dominating the first 20 minutes but unfortunately came up with 0 goals to show for it. The final score would read 5-0 in favor of the Berkshire school and yet another disheartening loss for the BA Wolverines.

BA vs. Pennington School

For the first time in program history, Bridgton Academy Soccer took to the road to face one of the top prep soccer programs in New Jersey in the Pennington School. Pennington has a rich soccer tradition and a history of success, a great out of league opponent for the boys but also a time for some bonding for the team on the 7 hour bus trip. In the first 20 minutes, you could already begin to see the improvement and chemistry growing among the BA players. They began to trust each other and move the ball quickly creating the first 2 chances of the game. Unfortunately, these chances wouldn’t amount to goals and with 28 minutes left in the half, Pennington would climb on the board after a nicely slotted through ball found a strikers feet and he calmly slotted home for a 1-0 lead. Not 2 minutes later a service from the top of the 18 found an unmarked Pennington player at the 6 yard box who headed home for a 2-0 lead. After a hard fought second half, the score would finish 2-0 to the home side Pennington School. It was another tough defeat for the boys but a big time learning experience to say the least.

By: Coach Perron

A Nice Friendly

Yesterday the soccer team had a friendly match against the lacrosse team? Yeah Yeah the lacrosse team.

BA vs. Middlebury College JV

        The Wolverines took to a long 5 hr van ride onto the campus of Middlebury College to square off with their JV program. They were a very talented and physical squad that set the tone immediately with quick ball movement and organized play. They would score first about 20 minutes in off a cross from the wing a header was initially saved by goalkeeper Colin Ford only to see the rebound get stuffed home. 1-0 Middlebury. The away side Wolverines would valiantly respond off a set piece service from Casey Hamill which Andrew Terreri flicked home to tie the score at 1-1 moving into halftime. The second half would be a different story however. Middlebury jumped on an opportunity resulting from a corner kick to make the score 2-1 and the boys just didn’t have the energy to put together another comeback. The score finished 5-1 in favor of the home side. A tough trip for the Wolverines but a resilient bunch they are and will bounce back down at the Pennington School in New Jersey.

By: Coach Perron

BA vs. Bowdoin JV (Game 2) 10/9/13

The BA Wolverines took to the road for what would be their shortest road game of the season up to this point at Bowdoin College. The boys were hoping for a bit of redemption as Bowdoin had stolen one on homecoming weekend at BA. We came out a bit flat due to a delay in the start time yet figured it out quickly and controlled the play from the first 5 minutes all the way up to the 90th. Chance after chance went by the wayside as BA couldn’t crack the packed in Bowdoin defense. The referee played his own part in the first half about 20 minutes into the half as Connor Reagan ripped a cross destined for the 6 but was clearly deflected by a Bowdoin defenders arm for a supposed Penalty Kick yet was missed by the official. The boys would respond admirably to the missed call the rest of the way but just couldn’t sneak one into the goal. The score would finish at 0-0. A disappointing tie as the Wolverines were the better side but we can take a lot of positives from the match including 2 straight shutouts and much better possession play.

By: Coach Perron

BA vs. Kents Hill School 10/5/13

          Saturday the Wolverines would look to bounce back against Kents Hill School at home. From the kickoff, the Wolverines controlled much of the possessions and tempo of the game. The first goal of the game came off a quality assist from Sam Park (Vancouver, BC) who found Andrew Gass (Durham, NH). The second goal would come about ten minutes later when Dimitri Roumeliotis (Scarborough, ME) fed Connor Reagan (Gorham, ME) an open opportunity, finishing the game in a 2-0 finale. Next up for the Wolverines is Bowdoin College on Wednesday.

BA vs. Phillips Andover Academy 10/2/13

Qais Sidiqi

           BA soccer had two games this past week. Their first opponent was Phillips Andover Academy, who is nationally ranked in the top ten. The game started off with a lot of energy and passion from both teams. The Wolverines would create multiple chances within the first few minutes. The first break in the game came from Nicholas Kaiafas (Point Pleasant, NJ) in the 15th minute, and this lead would stand until the last ten minutes of the half. The second half Andover came out more determined than the Wolverines, and would score another goal that led them to the 2-1 victory.

BA vs. Bowdoin JV

Andrew Terreri

During Homecoming weekend, the Wolverine soccer team took on a feisty Bowdoin JV team. Their hard work paid off when a Bowdoin midfielder stole an errant pass from a BA defender and ripped a shot past the BA goaltender. BA would prove resilient and even the score, with Connor Reagan yet again drawing a penalty kick, which Andrew Gass (Durham, NH) slid home. This tally would soon be forgotten, however, as yet another errant pass from the BA defense put a Bowdoin forward in on goal. He wouldn’t disappoint putting them up for good 2-1. It was a disappointing, result for the BA side, who was hoping to impress the parents and families in attendance.

BA vs. Kimball Union Academy

Nick Kaiafas

Eric Miller

On Wednesday afternoon the BA Wolverine soccer team traveled down to New Hampshire to take on Kimball Union Academy. The game began at a frantic pace with both teams trying to feel each other out in terms of playing styles and talent. The first goal of the match came about 15 minutes in when a Kimball Union player took to a nifty give and go off a throw in a rocketed a shot from 30 yards out into the bottom corner of the goal. This is the way the half would finish in what would be a disappointing first half for the Bridgton. The second half would be a much different story, however, as BA came out firing and creating chance after chance. Finally, Connor Reagan (Gorham, ME) broke through the KUA defense only to get dragged down in the box for a penalty kick. Qais Sidiqe (Revere, MA) calmly slotted home to tie it at 1-1. The game would finish at this score putting the Wolverine record at 3-3-3.

Sam Anderson

Wolverine Player Profile 2014: Sam Park

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Sport: Soccer

Role Model: Ji-Sung Park

Favorite Movie: Spiderman

Favorite Music Artist: Big Bang

Goals for the year: Commit to a good D1 school

First Annual Prep Showcase - BA vs. Hotchkiss 9/22/13

The BA soccer team took to the road to compete in the First Annual Prep Showcase, a collection of the top 16 prep teams in the region playing in the same location. College coaches from all over the country showed up including Wake Forest, North Carolina, Indiana, American, Xavier, George Mason, Boston College and over 70 others.  Hotchkiss had a team loaded with talent including four blue chip Dision1 players from Africa. The match was exciting to watch, with each team creating chances both ways. Goalkeeper Zach Lombard (Saco, ME) was forced to make some good saves, but he was up to the challenge throughout the day having his finest performance of the season. The BA back line of Casey Hamill (Chelmsford, MA), Andrew Terreri (Guilford, CT), Pat Kinee (Brunswick, ME), and Brian Wheeler (Hanover, MA) also did very well on the afternoon containing some very dynamic attacking players from Hotchkiss. The game finished with a 0 – 0 draw as the #8 nationally ranked Bridgton Academy soccer team tied the #5 ranked Hotchkiss School.

BA vs. Noble and Greenough 9/18/13

The Bridgton Academy Soccer Team took to the pitch to square off with another ISL opponent Noble and Greenough. From the get go, the boys had a hard time with the high pressing tactics of the Noble Squad. Noble would score in the first 5 minutes on a set piece from around midfield which was knocked down in the box, only to be slotted home by an unmarked Noble player. Their second goal would come with about 10 minutes left in the first half when an errant pass from a Bridgton player was picked off by a Noble midfielder who drove it into the box and finished calmly for a 2-0 lead. The match would finish at that score.

BA vs. AIC 9/15/13

After a hotly contested match on Saturday afternoon seeing BA lose two of its key players to minor injuries, the battered bunch of 12 field players had nothing left in the tank to give the American International team any run. Filled with recruited Freshman, and all of which are on the varsity, BA was no match for their “Freshness” on the day. The boys battled hard only to succumb to a tough defeat. They fought as hard as they could on the day but just had nothing in the tank. Next up this week are two MONSTER matches against Class A opponents Nobles and Greenough School Wednesday and #4 Ranked Hotchkiss School on Sunday.

BA vs. Kent School 9/14/13

            Bridgton Academy soccer hit the road this past weekend for what would be a tough and arduous stretch of two games against a top-5 nationally ranked prep program and a Division II college team.  Against Kent School, the boys came out firing out of the gates in the first 5 minutes surprising the Class A power with their speed up front. BA found themselves in on goal a few times, but unfortunately could not beat Kents Blue chip, future Division I keeper. After 10 minutes of some back and forth high paced soccer, Kent broke open the scoring, playing the ball to their star Ghanain forward who writhed through our defense and blasted a shot 20 yards out into the corner of the goal. A devastating blow for a weary BA side. Their second goal would come only 10 minutes later when a poorly cleared ball by the BA defense allowed the Kent player the chance to fire an awkward half-volley that found the upper corner of the goal from 25 yards away. The half would finish 2-0 leaving BA a bit stunned and down. With an unspoken determination and mindset, the second half would be a different story. The Wolverines came out all over the Class A power with a flurry of hard tackles and half dangerous chances. They would pull one back with 30 minutes to go when Sam Park was violently elbowed by the goalkeeper resulting in a penalty kick and a yellow card for the keeper. Andrew Gass calmly drove it home and cut the lead to 2-1. Less than 10 minutes later, a miscleared corner from the Kent School Defense found Casey Hamill who took the ball off one bounce from 25 yards out and laced a beautiful curving shot to the upper corner of the goal to tie the score at 2-2.   BA would create 3 more quality chances only to see them harmlessly drift wide and the game would finish 2-2 with the BA coaching staff very proud of the comeback effort and the character shown by the boys. 

Media Day Preview 2013

Sam Anderson

Sam Park

Andrew Terreri